What if We Told Them?
by Steve Schave
We know two things: (1) The United States of America has become one of the greatest mission fields in the world as the statistic for the “unchurched” grows at a staggering rate. (2) Jesus commanded His disciples to proclaim a message of repentance and forgiveness of sins to the ends of the earth, starting from the heart of the local city. But what about little old me in my daily life? Does the thought of “being prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you” send chills down your spine? Take heart. You have been equipped to tell others the Good News of Jesus Christ, who is the reason for your hope. You know how to confess your faith, and you practice it every week. On a regular basis, the whole Christian Church on earth confesses the ancient creeds that have been handed down to us. Yep, those very creeds and the confession of faith that you vowed to confess, even if it meant death, are at the very core of bearing witness to Christ.
I met a 6-year-old boy once in West Africa who could recite all six chief parts of Luther’s Small Catechism in one sitting. The young man couldn’t read, so every single day he spent time with a catechist who read the catechism to him. Even though the little boy was speaking in French, I could follow along enough to know which part of the catechism it was. At first, I thought, “Well, that’s a really cool thing that he worked so hard to learn this.” But by the third chief part, I had broken into tears. My pastor friend who invited me said, “He loves God.” And he did. He loves God so much so that he spent hours every day to learn about Him and then tell others in his village. Love, learn, tell; this is no daunting task. It is who we are as the baptized. We have the treasure of the evangelist’s greatest toolkit – the catechism—that the head of the family can teach in a simple way to his household.
“But how do I use it?” you ask. It doesn’t have to be staged or confrontational. It’s not a debate to win or a burden wracked with spiritual failures. It is our joy, the very nature of …
How do I witness to a coworker? …
How do I witness to my neighbor? …
How do I witness to my family? …
How do I witness to a person I’ve never met before? …
Follow the link below to read the whole article.